Netanyahu: ‘Trump has Inscribed Himself in the Annals of Our Capital’

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Trump “has inscribed himself in the annals of our capital for all time. His name will now be linked to the names of others in the context of the glorious history of Jerusalem and our people,” Netanyahu said.

“We were all moved to hear President Trump’s historic statement, the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and this statement is – of course – based on ancient right,” Netanyahu stated on Thursday while addressing a Foreign Ministry conference on digital diplomacy.

Through his announcement, Trump “has inscribed himself in the annals of our capital for all time. His name will now be linked to the names of others in the context of the glorious history of Jerusalem and our people,” Netanyahu said.

The Israeli premier thanked Trump and the US Congress which, 22 years ago, provided the legal foundation on which Trump based US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital last week.

In 1995, Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy and Relocation Act, which recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. To date, each American president since Bill Clinton has signed a presidential waiver every six months in order to keep the embassy in Tel Aviv, citing concerns that a move to Jerusalem could hinder the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Trump boldly reversed this policy and ordered that preparation for the move be made.

More Countries to Follow US?

Netanyahu further revealed that Israel is already in contacts with other countries that will declare a similar recognition of Jerusalem.

“I have no doubt that the moment the American embassy moves to Jerusalem, and even before, many more embassies will move to Jerusalem. It’s about time,” Netanyahu concluded.

The Czech Republic on Wednesday recognized western Jerusalem as the capital of Israel following Trump’s policy changes on the city.

The Czechs broke rank with EU members who uphold a policy of not recognizing Jerusalem as the Jewish state’s capital without a final status agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

Yet the move differed from the US policy change in that the Czech Republic conditioned the relocation of its Tel Aviv embassy to Jerusalem upon the results of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, while Trump expressed the unconditional intent to move the American embassy, though not immediately.

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